Kenya: A vision of a more just world

MS partner AKOSI ensures that the women among semi-nomades participate in the decision-making process. Photo: Ole Holst.

KENYA belongs to the 25 poorest countries in the world. More than half the population lives below the official UN poverty line of less than 1 US dollar a day. Side by side with poverty we find extreme wealth. The richest tenth of the population controls 42 percent of all incomes; the poorest tenth less than 1 percent.

A vision of equality

MS, the Danish Association for International Co-operation in Kenya (MS Kenya) holds a vision of a world in which resources are distributed more equally than today. Hence, poverty eradication, human rights, and environment are the focal points of our work.

We collaborate with local partners to promote good governance and democracy, strengthen the ability of local communities to fulfill the basic needs of their citizens, and protect the environment. Sustainable development can only be obtained by dealing with the causes of poverty.

Epidemic resulted in clean water

Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest fresh-water lake. In spite of this, clean drinking water for those who inhabit the areas around the lake has been a problem. Following a cholera epidemic in 1999, the people of Madiany, which is situated on the northeastern bank of the lake, took matters into their own hands.

With the help of MS partner Madiany Community Development Program, an old water system, which carries water to approximate 50,000 people, has been renovated. Today, the water supply system is run and managed by locals,with no support from the government.

And in Turkana, in the northernmost part of Kenya, MS partner AKOSI has, for a number of years, been working to promote local development. AKOSI is the first organization among the seminomads in the area to have both male and female board members. Including women as decisionmakers challenges the traditional view of the sexes, and will slowly serve to change the pattern of gender roles in the population.

Millions of Kenyans own no land, while some families own areas the size of Belgium. Photo: Dorthe Mortensen.

Land Reform is necessary

Kenya’s land is unequally distributed, and the inequalities are increasing. MS Kenya is, together with 2 local organizations and 2 national NGOs, pushing for national reforms, so that land may be distributed more equally. This is a pre-requisite for development for the poorest in Kenya.

Through 6 of our partners, MS Kenya is helping to train hundreds of barefoot-lawyers. It is people from the local communities who are given a short, non-formal law-training course. They help increase citizens’ awareness of their rights, and give them the tools they need to fight for their rights. In this way, local initiatives can help alter norms and systems that lead to poverty.